Line Producer, Scripted (12 month FTC) in St. Leonards, Australia

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

At Warner Bros., we are committed to a nurturing a workforce that encompasses all facets of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage applicants from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, and of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds, and cultures.

Primary Purpose of Position:

The Line Producer, Scripted is responsible for overseeing the production elements of the scripted slate. This includes providing clear financial, logistical, OHS, legal & safety direction in line with programme creative & financial objectives and the Company’s requirements.

Position Responsibilities:

Financial Requirements

• Preparing accurate scripted budgets, or reviewing and negotiating scripted budgets for submittal to broadcast partners by liaising with the:

• Head of Scripted to ensure creative requirements are met and the budget is at an hourly cost that is in line with market expectations;

• Director of Finance to ensure the project budget, margin and recharges meet Company expectations;

• Director of Legal to ensure the budget captures any third-party fees as required by existing agreements (e.g. format fees, story rights etc.); and

• Supervising Production Executive to ensure recharges, margins and other WB line items are accounted for.

• Preparing finance plans for submittal to all financing parties by liaising with the:

• Director of Finance to ensure rebate calculations are maximized and correct;

• Head of Scripted for distribution and broadcaster estimates (and that they are in-line with SPA requirements); and

• Executive Business Director on anticipated finance body / third-party investor estimates and overall position and expected financing.

• Negotiate funding as required and in accordance with the finance plan (on instruction from the Executive Business Director and in consultation with the Head of Scripted).

• In partnership with the Director of Finance, maintain up to date knowledge on available financing options such as location rebates, producer offset, PDV rebates etc. and ensuring these are accounted for in each finance plan.

• Manage all funding applications with state and federal partners.

• Distribute finance plans to all parties and negotiate final positions (including with broadcaster, distributors, state bodies and third-party funders). In consultation with the Head of Scripted on strategy.

• Hand over each production budget to Line Producer. Providing clear guidelines and expectations on relevant lines.

• Oversee the Production Manager on all cost reporting. Setup and attend fortnightly cost report meetings with your team and analyse each cost report, ensuring you are comfortable that the current and projected positions are accurate.

• Oversee distribution of all cost reports as per investor guidelines and schedules.

• Seek overage approvals from the Executive Business Manager.

• Work with your Production Manager (and where necessary, Executive Producer) to provide suggestions and feedback on when overages can be clawed back via creative or logistical changes

• Always staying an arm’s length ahead of any financial position to predict future issues and provide guidance to the Production Managers on mitigating overages

• Review and sign off on investor cost reports when required. Provide to investors in a timely manner in accordance with the contract requirements. Provide commentary and feedback where necessary

• Fortnightly updates to the Supervising Production Executive and Director of Finance on budget position and forecasted finish.

• Manage costs and the cost report during pre and post production when the Production Manager is not on board

HR Requirements

• Negotiate all senior contracts for each program (Heads of Department where the LP hasn’t started) ensuring rates and deals are in line with WB rate card, previous show expectations, creative involvement and experience.

• Consult with the Head of Scripted on rate expectations and deliverables.

• Consult with HR on award advice if required. All back-end or points-based deals to receive Director of Legal approval.

• Review and sign off on all other crew contracts.

• Provide and receive regular feedback to production on financial, OHS, legal, creative requirements of the show.

• Compose the relevant Participant Duty of Care document for your programs in consultation with the Supervising Production Executive and HR.

• Manage the implementation of the Crew protocols training / Duty of Care Policy and ensure the procedures are followed out, including organization of any relevant training and briefings in consultation with HR.

• Foster a strong relationship with the HR department, informing them of any HR matters that may require their attention.

Legal Requirements

• Negotiate with all actor agents in accordance with award requirements, show objectives, broadcaster rights, creative requirements and in consideration of the budget.

• Finalise all actor agreements.

• Ensure production (or any other relevant department such as legal and finance) are aware of any specific actor contractual requirements.

• Provide input to all investor and market-place agreements to the legal team as required

• Once all broadcaster, distributor and other funding documents are finalised, ensure the project is produced in accordance with any contractual requirements.

• Oversee all deliverables in accordance with contractual requirements. Liaise with all relevant Company departments as required (e.g finance for invoices etc).

• Ensure all contractual requirements are delivered (investors, staff, crew etc)

• Finalise all credits based on contractual requirements

Company Requirements

• Ensure requisite insurance is purchased prior to the commencement of any show pre-production

• Ensure Production Managers are implanting WB’s OHS requirements on each program

• Foster WB’s culture by being actively involved with your production teams, creating a positive and fun workplace.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 2 years’ experience as a Line Producer

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in Scripted Television Production

• Experience at production companies

• Demonstrated ability to create scripted production budgets

• Demonstrated and deep understanding of scripted television awards – crew and talent

Knowledge/Skills:

• Detailed knowledge of relevant crew and cast awards.

• Excellent negotiation skills, particularly with talent and crew agents.

• Excellent knowledge of the scripted television industry.

• Strong networking skills and ability to maintain personable relationships that can be leveraged to benefit program and company objectives.

• Ability to create budgets for scripted projects.

• Ability to forecast and manage scripted budgets to the benefit of both the project and company.

• Strong knowledge of financing opportunities, including understanding of all government incentive schemes, their requirements and the politics surrounding securing funding.

• Excellent personal skills and ability to communicate clearly and effectively with networks and clients.

• Self-confidence. The ability to communicate, advise and direct internal stakeholders to secure best outcomes for the project and company.

• Confident in providing and receiving feedback.

• Understanding in how to create stories and the importance of creative storytelling.

• Excellent understanding of television legal, OHS, financial and HR requirements.

• Strong decision making and problem-solving capabilities.

• Excellent attention to detail with high level of accuracy.

• A strong leader and team player that inspires commitment and excellence.

*Important note: This job description serves as a guide to the scope and range of activities that may be required of the incumbent and may change at any time according to the needs and priorities of Warner Bros.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society and the world around us. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you’re a qualified candidate and you require adjustments or accommodations to search for a job opening or apply for a position, please contact us at [email protected].